Time-stamp



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' J. G. HINOHMAN.

TIME STAMP. No. 265,808. Patented' Oct. 10, 1882.

, 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' (No Model.)

J. O. HINOHMAN. TIME STAMP.

Patented Oct. 10, 1882..

M H M UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE.

JOHN C. HINOHMAN, OF SUMMIT, NE\V JERSEY.

TlME-STAM P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 265,808, dated October 10, 1852,

Application filed August 25, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN G. HINCHMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Summit, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Time-Stamps, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to furnish a machine for hand printing or stamping, which shall, when operated, record by a single movement of a platen or impressionpad the precise hour or minute of the day at which such impression was taken, so as to adapt it to such purposes as stamping messages which are received or sent at telegraph stations, tickets sold at railway-stations, time-checks for employs of manufacturingestablishments, and other analogous uses.

My invention consists of a stereotyped representation of the face of a clock or time-dial affixed to a bed-plate and firmly supported, preferably in a horizontal position. A'disk or plate carrying a representation of a hand or pointer is arranged to revolve upon the face of the dial by means of a time-train connected therewith, which pointer indicates the hourin the same manner as the hour-hand of an ordinary clock. In most cases I prefer to employ two such pointers-one for indicating hours and the other minutesarranged upon independent concentric axes, each being connected with the time-train by appropriate mechanism. Above the stereotyped dial is a movable platen or impression-pad provided with a band or other suitable inking device and a knob or handle, by means of which handle the platen may be forced down and made to produce an impression upon an interposed sheet of paper of the characters upon the stereotyped dial and also of the pointer or pointers, in which impression the latter will appear in the position which they happen to be at the moment when such impression is taken.

My invention further consists in combining with the hereinbefore-described mechanism certain devices for preventing the shocks caused by the blow of the platen upon the indicating or printing devices from being transmitted to the time-train, and also for disconnecting the indicating or printing devices from the timetrain for the purpose of adjusting the same,

and in certain other minor details, whereby the effectual action of the mechanism is secured, as will be hereinafter more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; and Figs. 3 and I are vertical transverse sections ofportions ofthe indicating and printing mechanism, showing certain details ot'the mechanism.

In the figures, A represents a base, of any suitable material, to which is secured a metallic bed-plate, a.

B is a frame containing a time-train, which latter may consist of an ordinary chronometermovement, I), driven by a coiled spring, I).

O is a plate or platform mounted upon pillars 0 0 directly over the time-train, and upon this platform is supported a top plate, D, upon short pillars d (1. Upon the upper surface of the top plate, D, is secured astcreotypcd rep resentation ot' a time-dial, E, consisting of a circle of characters denoting the hours of the day, from I to XII, these characters being arranged in the manner of an ordinary timepiece, but in the reverse direction. The characters are engraved in relief, so as to be capable of printing an impression upon a sheet of paper when brought forcibly in contact with them. Within the circle formed by the characters of the time-dial a shallow circular recessis formed, as best seen at ein Fig. 3. "Within -this recess a disk or plate, F, is fitted, carrying upon its upper surface an engraved representation ot' a hand or pointer, f. The plate F is mounted upon a sleeve orhollow shat't,f, to which a rotary motion is communicated by the toothed wheel f, fixed thereon. \Vithin the hollow shaftf is a smaller hollowshaft, g, carrying another hand or pointer, g, and also a toothed pinion, g, from which it receives its motion. The hollow shaft 9 revolves upon a stationary pin, G, which is secured or otherwise permanently attached to the stationary plate 0. The pinion g is likewise hollow and rests upon a spi *al spring, H, within and beneath it, which spring in turn rests upon the fixed plate 0. Normally the elasticity of the spring H is exerted to raise the hollow shafts]" and 9, so that the disk F may rotate freely without touching the bottom of the recess 0, and the hand g will in like manner rotate freely without touching the disk F, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, except when an int pression is to be printed, as will be hereinafter explained. The toothed wheel f and pinion g, which communicate a rotary motion to the pointersf and g respectively, are driven by the time-train I), through the intervention of a pinion, 2'. The pinion i is attached to its axis by means of a coiled spring, t", placed within and beneath it, the object of which arrangement will be hereinafterexplained. Therelation of the wheelfand pinion g to the time-train l) is such that the former is caused to make one revolution in twelve hours, and the latter one revolution in each hour, so that the pointer f constitutes the hour-hand and the pointer g the minute-hand of the time-dial E; and it is to be understood that these are moved by the time-train in such manner as to indicate the time upon the dial E in precisely the same manner as the hands of an ordinary time-piece.

In order to provide for taking an impression of the time-dial E and its handsfand g at any required moment, I make use of a platen, K, having a stem, 70, surmounted by a handle or knob, la, and capable of sliding vertically in a suitable support, L, secured to the base A. M is an inking band or ribbon wound upon rollers m m. The arrangement and operation of these devices is the same in all respects as the similar parts of an ordinary hand-stamp, and need not therefore be more particularly described.

The mode of operation of my improved apparatus will be easily understood. A sheet of paper is'inserted between the platen K and the ink-ribbon M. The platen is then forced down by striking the knob by the hand, by which means the paper and the ink-ribbon are brought forcibly against the face of the timedial E. The pointer g is pressed to a solid bearing against the plate F, a suflicient vertical movement being permitted by the yielding of the spring H, and in like manner, by a further compression of the same spring, the plate F comes to a bearing in the recess a, which forms a seat for that purpose. In this position, as seen in Fig. I, the upper or printing surfaces of the pointers f and g are level with theprinting-surface of the dial E and an impression is made upon the paper, which impression represents the position of the hands in relation to the dial at the moment of time at which it was made. As the movement of the pointers f and 9, being derived from the connection 2' between the wheel 11 and its axis, which takes up the lost motion and restores the proper relation of the parts the instant the pointers are relieved from the pressure of the platen. In many cases this provision would not be necessary, and in such cases the device might be advantageously dispensed with.

In order to disconnect the pointers and the mechanism immediately connected therewith from the time-train, in order to regulate them or set them to the correct time when required, the plate 0, upon which this portion of the apparatus is mounted, is capable of a slight horizontal movement upon its supports by means ofa slot and thumb-nut, c, by which the pinion g may be thrown out of gear with the wheel 6 and the pointers f and g adjusted inde pendently of the time-train.

The platen K and its attachments are arranged so as to turn horizontally upon a point, 0, Fig. 1, so that it may be swung away from the dial E, as in Fig. 1, to permit the adjustment of the latter, or placed in position for printing, as shown in Figs. 2, 3, and 4-, and by the dotted lines in Fig. 1.

It is obvious that fixed or movable types or characters for printing dates, numerals, or any desired information, may be combined with the hereinbefore-described apparatus, so that an impression may be taken thereof by the same platen and at the same moment that an impression is taken of the time-dial.

I do not claim herein the combination of a bed-plate, a stationary type-dial ailixed thereto, types representing pointers movable concentrically within the stationary dial, time mechanism for rotating said pointers, and a platen for simultaneously taking an impression of said dial and its pointers, as this is intended to form the subject-matterof a separate division of this application.

I do not claim the combination, in a chronometric stamp, with the time-dial, pointer, time-train, and platen, of a vertically-yielding connection between said pointer and its motor. Neither do I claim the combination, in a stamp of the above-described character, with the dial or fixed characters upon the bed-plate in line above the clock mechanism and case and concentric with its driving-spindle, of an impression-pad for indicating the time of an impression upon a document.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a stationary stereotyped representation ofa time-dial, a disk or plate revolving concentrically upon the face of said dial, and carrying a representation of a pointer, a platen for simultaneously taking an impression of said dial and its pointer, a seat for supporting said disk when struck by the platen, and a spring for supporting said disk out of contact with its seat, except at the moment of taking an impression. V 1

2. The combination, substantially as herein set forth, of a stationary time-dial movable ICO hands or pointers indicating hours and minutes respectively, a time-train for comm unicating motion to said movable hands or pointers, and mechanism for disconnecting the pointers from the time-train in order to adjust the position of the former Without interfering with the movement of the latter.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a stereotyped representation of a time-dial, a type or character representing a pointer movable concentrically with- 

